Actually, NASA has the situation under control, as long as the flying saucer does not interfere.
Posted on 03/03/2006 10:28:08 AM PST by presidio9
AN asteroid capable of devastating an area the size of a sub-continent has about a one in 1000 risk of hitting Earth early next century, NASA said today.
The rock, 2004 VD17, is about 500m long and has a mass of nearly a billion tonnes.
If it hit Earth it would deliver 10,000 megatonnes of energy, equivalent to all the world's nuclear weapons. Spotted on November 27 2004, VD17 was identified as potentially crossing Earth's orbit, with a one in 3000 risk of collision on May 4, 2102.
Further observations and calculations have prompted the risk on that day to be upgraded to "a bit less than one in 1000", said NASA Near-Earth Object (NEO) expert David Morrison in an emailed circular.
"The risk of an impact within the next century (is) higher than that of any other known asteroid," he said, stressing however that the likelihood of a hit was small.
"Fortunately, it is nearly a century before the close pass from VD17. This should provide ample time to refine the orbit and, most probably, determine that the asteroid will miss the Earth." Collisions by large asteroids or comets are extraordinarily rare, but can be watershed events when they happen.
The reign of the dinosaurs is believed to have ended 65 million years ago by a rock that smashed into the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico.
The theory is that the impact kicked up vast clouds of dust that were borne around the globe on high-altitude winds and filtered out light and heat from the sun, inflicting climate change that changed Earth's biodiversity.
I hope it hits my neighbor's house. I hate that guy.
So I guess this makes global warming moot.
-PJ
Actually, NASA has the situation under control, as long as the flying saucer does not interfere.
Crap. VD is going to do us all in. It's long, massive and bringing the pain.
Bush's fault
/sarc
"Not Earth! That's where I keep all my stuff!" - The Tick
Where's Bruce Willis when you need him?
I bet they will revise the odds to something more like 1 in 1,000,000,000.
I hope it's not too early to wet my pants.
WE_ARE_ALL_GOING_TO_DIE!!!!!!!! AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
Like we don't already have enough problems!
I don't care who you are, that's funny.
Women and minorities will be hardest hit.
Guess Visa isn't going to get that monthly payment afterall.
Paging Bruce Willis!
I know funny and brother, that is funny.
One in 3000 is "threatening?" Yeah, and I'm "threatening" to win the lotto.
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